The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty in the feudal history of the mainland, and its demise also meant the beginning of a new chapter. Since the Qing Dynasty was a turning point, there are naturally many things about its right and wrong.
The first to bear the brunt was the reign of Empress Dowager Cixi. She took over this mess at the end of the Qing Dynasty and did not help the building to fall. On the contrary, step by step, the Qing Dynasty was brought into the endless abyss.
Many people rebelled against Cixi's rule, but they were basically slaughtered by her. For example, Cixi once sent Li Hongzhang to surround and suppress the rebel army, and he killed eight generals with only a table of banquets.
The birth of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
The eight generals mentioned above are loyal to an organization called the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and its initiator is Hong Xiuquan. And Hong Xiuquan is a standard, a typical example of the corruption of the Qing government.
Although Hong Xiuquan was not from a humble background, his family was also powerless and powerless, and he had no property. Fortunately, Hong Xiuquan is a contentious child, bent on changing his fate by taking the meritorious name.
Hong Xiuquan studied hard for ten years, just for the title of the gold list. But the first time the results of the exam came out, he did not make the list. Immediately after that, one after another fell off the list, which hit Hong Xiuquan very hard.
And he also found that he couldn't win the list, not because of his poor grades. It is that the court is too corrupt, and others take money to buy or find connections. I am afraid that I, a cold student, will not have a day to emerge in my lifetime.
Hong Xiuquan felt that this was not okay, he was a person with great ambitions, how could he be willing to be mediocre. Therefore, Hong Xiuquan picked up a Bible under an unexpected circumstance and used it as a basis to develop believers.
On the surface, Hong Xiuquan was a missionary, but behind the scenes, he wanted to overthrow the Qing government. Hong Xiuquan found several capable people, each of whom was oppressed by the Qing Dynasty, and had a body of skill but could not make it.
As a result, Hong Xiuquan secretly developed. When the soldiers were strong, Hong Xiuquan led his congregation and launched an uprising in his hometown.
After the local Qing officials were killed, Cixi sent people to suppress them. Because the leading general had no one in sight, he was defeated by the rebel army. The corrupt Qing government, on the contrary, also brought opportunities to Hong Xiuquan.
Hong Xiuquan created the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom at a uniform pace, and under his leadership, the rebel army was unstoppable. Backwards captured Hubei, Jiangsu and other areas. Eventually, he set the capital in Nanjing and formally fought against the Qing Dynasty.
The Crisis of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
Under these circumstances, Cixi attached great importance to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and sent a large army to negotiate with Hong Xiuquan. However, it was too late, Hong Xiuquan had grown up, and the regime of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was difficult to shake for a while.
However, when the Qing Dynasty wanted to coexist peacefully with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the backyard of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom caught fire. As one of Hong Xiuquan's earliest supporters, after the establishment of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Hong Xiuquan rewarded him for his merits and deeds, and was canonized as four great kings and twelve generals.
Among the four kings, there was a man named Yang Xiuqing. He originally came from a family of warriors, but because he participated in the infighting in the imperial court, he stood on the wrong side and was suppressed, resulting in the decline of the family.
Yang Xiuqing's skills, Wen Tao's martial arts are all stronger than Hong Xiuquan's. Moreover, three of the Twelve Roads Generals were his confidants. After the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was stabilized, Yang Xiuqing wanted to replace Hong Xiuquan.
But Hong Xiuquan was willing to do so, so he instructed another great king, Wei Changhui, and the two of them joined forces to kill Yang Xiuqing. Unexpectedly, this incident provoked Shi Dakai, and he and Wei Changhui began a game.
Wei Changhui did an immoral thing, that is, killed Shi Dakai's entire family. In order to appease Shi Dakai, Yang Xiuqing murdered Wei Changhui. But he still hurt Shi Dakai's heart, and Shi Dakai chose to leave him.
The four great kings now blinked, three were gone, and there were only nine left in the twelve road generals. Hong Xiuquan's strength has been greatly weakened. The Qing government, which was watching from the sidelines, was waiting for an opportunity.
When Empress Dowager Cixi learned of this, she thought of sending someone to attack the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and take Hong Xiuquan down in one fell swoop. Finally, after careful consideration, Li Hongzhang, who was still young at the time, was selected.
Li Hongzhang was a Qing Dynasty at that time and was a rare person. Not only can he fight wars, but he can also invent, and he knows how to manage, and is deeply loved by Empress Dowager Cixi.
When Cixi told Li Hongzhang to attack Hong Xiuquan, he also scratched his head. Because the rebel army of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was notoriously brave. Let yourself lead the army to attack, isn't this a problem for him?
However, since the order had already been issued, Li Hongzhang had to comply. He could only take his soldiers to the road first, and try to find a way while marching. On Hong Xiuquan's side, he heard that Cixi was preparing to attack him again. He ordered the Eighth Route General to go to Suzhou and block Li Hongzhang here. But what Hong Xiuquan didn't know was that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was already scattered at this time.
A meal overwhelmed the rebels
Hong Xiuquan will not manage his subordinates, resulting in too many differences. The death of the three generals, the others can see clearly. They know that one day, it will be their turn. When I first turned to Hong Xiuquan, it was for the sake of glory and wealth. But now, I am afraid that I will not be able to enjoy it. Li Hongzhang also thought of this, and he had a plan to break the enemy.
Li Hongzhang wanted to recruit eight generals through the high-ranking official Feng Lu. But the purpose was not to come here, but to invite them over to the feast. Talk about it while eating, and then kill them all.
In this way, Suzhou was effortlessly taken. Hong Xiuquan has no available people around him, just like a toothless tiger, he can only be slaughtered. In order to ensure that nothing was wrong, Li Hongzhang also found the British officer Pete.
After all, if the eight generals come to their own territory for a banquet, they must be afraid of changing their minds. But if there are reliable British people, it is estimated that they will definitely come for the sake of survival and fame and fortune.
Therefore, Li Hongzhang stopped just before arriving in Suzhou. Let the spies take their invitation letter and invite the eight generals to a banquet. After the eight people got the letter, the first time was to meet and discuss.
In his letter, Li Hongzhang promised them a lot of official positions. From now on, enjoying the glory and wealth is certainly not a problem. But they were afraid that there would be no pie in the sky, but they saw that the British were there. In the end, under the decision of the vote, the eight people still decided to go to the banquet, after all, Hong Xiuquan was here, and they did not want to stay for a second. As soon as the eight generals arrived, Li Hongzhang had already gone out to greet them.
After three rounds of drinking, Li Hongzhang discussed the surrender with the eight generals, and he clearly explained the specific details. I have to say that it is a pity that Li Hongzhang did not go to be an actor, because he was too good at acting. It didn't take long for the British to go and take advantage of it. Li Hongzhang smiled, and then in a few moments, dozens of soldiers rushed in, and the eight generals now regretted that it was too late, and all of them were killed in this Hongmen banquet.
The latter thing, just as Li Hongzhang thought. Hong Xiuquan had no manpower around him, plus people's hearts were scattered. As a result, the tree fell and the monkey Sun scattered, Hong Xiuquan was killed, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was destroyed.